This invention relates to tie-down mechanisms for cargo arranged on flat bed trucks or trailers.
Under conventional practice chains or straps are used to retain cargo in place on truck or trailer beds. End areas of the chains or straps are connected to anchor members located in pockets spaced along outer side areas of the beds. Each anchor member can take the form of a swingable bail or shackle that is oriented in the pocket so that it can be swung up out of the pocket for connection to the strap or swung down into the pocket when not in use.
The above-mentioned pockets are exposed to the weather such that rain, dirt, snow and other debris can collect therein. Under arctic conditions ice can form in the pockets, making it difficult to operate the anchor members between their upright (use) positions and their retracted (non-use) positions. The problem has been partially solved by forming drain openings in the pocket bottom walls.
The drain openings in the pocket bottom walls pose a problem when the truck or trailer is being used by the military to carry ammunition. Should the truck or trailer be operating in a battle zone there may be hot burning materials on the ground in the vehicle path. There is a possibility that flames originating beneath the vehicle can travel upwardly through the drain openings in the aforementioned pockets, to thus impinge on surface areas of ammunition containers (or unboxed ammunition) resting on the vehicle bed. This action might explode the ammunition, with resultant loss of life.
The present invention is directed to a tie-down anchor mechanism for cargo, especially ammunition or flammable materials, wherein the pockets for the tie-down anchor members are constructed so that water can readily drain through the pocket bottom walls; the pocket bottom walls are formed as a series of overlapped baffle plates arranged to resist upflow of flames from beneath the vehicle into the pockets.